Commutator



' H. L. BRIDGMAN.

GOMMUTATOR No. 531,406. Patented Dec. 25, 1894. Y

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY L. BRIDGMAN, OF BLUE ISLAND, ILLINOIS.

COMMUTATOR.

5PECIFICA'I'ION forming part of Letters Patent No. 531,406, dated December 25, 1894.

Application filed July 3, 1894. Serial No. 516,491- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY L. BRIDGMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Blue Island, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Commutators, of which the following is a specification.

As commutators for electric machines are now made, the manufacture is attended with great difliculty in the matter of forming and adjusting together the sections, which renders the article costly.

The object of my improvement is to provide a construction of commutator which may be readily produced at a much smaller cost than heretofore, and the metal of which shall be pure owing to the manner of manufacturing the article.

My invention consists in a commutator havingits insulated portion composed of a frame of insulating material and its conducting portion formed of an electro-deposited filling of metal in the frame.

Referring to the accompanying drawings" Figure 1 is a perspective sectional view of the frame of my improved commutator, the section being taken at the line 1 on Fig. 2 and viewed in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 2, a longitudinal sectional view of the same as prepared for use as a cathode in an electrodeposi-ting apparatus; and Fig. 3,a perspective view of my improved commutator as 00 mpleted.

A is the commutator comprising a tubular cylindrical body 0" of insulating material, or other material (as metal) suitably covered with insulation 19, from which extend, radially and lengthwise of the body, the flanges q of insulating or insulated material afiording between them pockets 0.

To produce my improved commutator the frame B afforded by the body 4' and flanges q is employed, upon suitably coating the surfaces of the parts with graphite, or the like, all in a well-known manner, as the cathode or rotary cathode in an electro-depositing apparatus (not shown), for which purpose, however its ends should be protected against access to them of the electrolytic fluid, by heads n of insulating material, (Fig. 1) adapted to be applied to said ends about the shaft on of the apparatus, to which the frame Bis fastened, to rotate with it if the shaft be rotary, as it is best that it should be.

By rotating the shaft and thus revolving the commutator-frame B in the electrolyte, the conducting portions or metal parts lot the commutator are formed as a filling of metal in the pockets 0 by accumulation therein and building up of the parts by electro-deposition. A complete commutator A, requiring, perhaps, some subsequent finishing, is thus produced, possessing the well-known characteristics due to having its metal portion produced by electro-deposition, and with regard to which it is readily distinguishable by those skilled in the art.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A commutator comprising the insulating frame B having the flangesq affording pockets o, and an electro-deposited filling Z of metal in said pockets, affording the conducting portion of the commutator, substantially as described.

HENRY L. BRIDGMAN.

In presence of- M. J. Fnosr, W. Y. WILLIAMS. 

